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Arizona Attorney and Accountant Sentenced to Prison for Abusive Foreign Trust Scheme

Steven W. Allen, a practicing attorney from Mesa, Ariz., and Allen Goodmansen, a certified public accountant, also from Mesa, were sentenced to prison for tax fraud by Phoenix federal district court Judge Roslyn O. Silver.



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Clean Water Act Settlement with Indianapolis Will Reduce Pollution at Lower Costs

The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the state of Indiana have reached an agreement with the city of Indianapolis on important modifications to a 2006 consent decree that will make Indianapolis’ sewer system more efficient, leading to major reductions in sewage contaminated water at a savings to the city of approximately $444 million.



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Oregon Man Sentenced for Threatening Lima, Ohio, Civil Rights Leader by Mailing Noose

Daniel Lee Jones, a Portland, Ore., white supremacist, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison and three years supervised release for threatening the president of the Lima, Ohio, chapter of the NAACP by mailing him a noose. Jones entered a guilty plea on May 17, 2010, to using the U.S. Postal Service to send a threatening communication.



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Pharmaceutical Company Lawyer Charged with Obstruction and Making False Statements

Lauren Stevens of Durham, N.C., was charged with one count of obstructing an official proceeding, one count of concealing and falsifying documents to influence a federal agency, and four counts of making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration.



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Department of Justice Statement on the Investigation into the Destruction of Videotapes by CIA Personnel

“In January 2008, Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed Assistant United States Attorney John Durham to investigate the destruction by CIA personnel of videotapes of detainee interrogations," said Matthew Miller, Director, Office of Public Affairs.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Hilton Worldwide Inc. Over ADA Violations at Hilton Hotels and Major Hotel Chains Owned by Hilton

The Justice Department and Hilton Worldwide Inc. today announced a comprehensive, precedent-setting agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that will make state-of-the-art accessibility changes to approximately 900 hotels nationwide.



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Latin Kings Leader Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

Remy Heath, aka “Remy,” “King Remy,” and “King Mellow,” 26, of Hyattsville, Md., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, in connection with his gang activities as a member and leader of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation.



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St. Joseph Medical Center in Maryland to Pay U.S. $22 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

St. Joseph Medical Center has agreed to pay the United States $22 million to settle allegations under the False Claims Act that it paid unlawful remuneration under the Anti-Kickback Act and violated the Stark Law when it entered into a series of professional services contracts with MidAtlantic Cardiovascular Associates.



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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Familial Status Discrimination in Elko, Nevada

The Justice Department today announced a settlement of its lawsuit alleging that Lee Enterprises Inc. and its subsidiary, Lee Publications Inc., violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by publishing an advertisement that discriminated on the basis of familial status in the Elko Daily Free Press.



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Three Former Executives Indicted in Color Display Tube Price-Fixing Conspiracy

A federal grand jury in San Francisco today returned an indictment against three former executives from two color display tube (CDT) manufacturing companies for their participation in a global conspiracy to fix prices of CDTs.



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Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit in Iowa Against Owner and Managers of Federally-subsidized Property for Sex Discrimination

The Justice Department announced today that it has sued the owners and managers of Park Towers Apartments, a federally-subsidized apartment complex in Waterloo, Iowa, alleging a pattern or practice of sexual harassment in violation of the Fair Housing Act.



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Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion as Part of Organized Crime Investigation

Gerald Diodati, 61, of Seekonk, Mass., pleaded guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi to one count of tax evasion.



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Virginia Contractor and Its President to Pay United States to Settle Allegations of Falsely Obtaining Hubzone Contract

CFP Group, located in McLean, Va., and its president, Roberto Clark, have agreed to pay the United States $150,000 to settle claims that they used false statements to obtain a contract from the Department of Veterans Affairs.



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Ohio Real Estate Agent Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Mortgage and Tax Fraud

Todd M. Gongwer, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to two years in prison for conspiring with convicted Columbus area home builder Thomas Parenteau to commit a mortgage fraud scheme in which the pair defrauded banks into lending more than $10 million to Gongwer, his nominees and unqualified borrowers.



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Justice Department Settles Allegations of Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination Against Hoover Inc.

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with Hoover Inc., a leading manufacturer of vacuum and carpet cleaners with facilities in Ohio and Texas, to resolve allegations that Hoover engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination by imposing unnecessary and discriminatory hurdles in the I-9 process upon lawful permanent residents.



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Principal of A&O Entities Pleads Guilty for His Role in $100 Million Fraud Scheme Involving Life Settlements

Brent Oncale, 36, of Houston, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., to conspiracy charges in connection with his role as a principal of the A&O entities, a group of businesses that acquired and marketed over $100 million of investments in life settlements to more than 800 victims across the United States and Canada.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Inaugural Justice Revius O. Ortique Jr. Lecture on Law and Society at Dillard University

"Tonight, it is clear that the spirit of justice that motivated Justice Ortique still burns brightly," said Attorney General Holder.




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Justice Department Settles Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against Essex County, N.J.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with Essex County, N.J., that, will resolve the department’s lawsuit against Essex County for refusing to permit a corrections officer to wear a religiously-mandated headscarf.



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Northern Virginia Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

U.S. District Court Judge Ellis sentenced Eric Jon Eisenhower, a resident of Fairfax Station, Va., to 19 months in prison and ordered him to pay $88,826.79 in restitution to the IRS.



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Tennessee Man Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Former Governor Sarah Palin’s E-Mail Account and Obstruction of Justice

David C. Kernell, 23, today was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for intentionally accessing without authorization the e-mail account of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and obstruction of justice.



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Columbus, Ohio, Accountant Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Fraud and Obstruction of Justice

According to court testimony and documents, Dennis G. Sartain of Hilliard, Ohio, was the accountant for convicted Columbus-area home builder, Thomas Parenteau.



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Department of Justice and USDA Announce Registration for Competition Workshop in Washington, D.C.

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced additional details for the Dec. 8, 2010, public workshop in Washington, which will examine the issue of margins at various levels of the agricultural supply chain.



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Rochester, New York, Contractor Convicted of Illegal Asbestos Removal and False Statements to OSHA

A jury in Rochester, N.Y., convicted Keith Gordon-Smith, and his Rochester-based asbestos abatement company, Gordon-Smith Contracting, Inc. (GSCI) of eight counts of knowing violations of the Clean Air Act asbestos work practice standards.



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Companies to Pay More Than $6 Million for Natural Resource Damages from Buzzards Bay Oil Spill

The Department of Justice, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state of Rhode Island announced today that Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. and its affiliates will pay more than $6 million to settle a portion of the federal and state natural resource damages claims for the April 2003 spill of up to 98,000 gallons of oil into Buzzards Bay.



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Former U.S. Air Force Airman Convicted of Second Degree Murder of Army Sergeant in Germany

Rico Rodrigus Williams, a former Air Force senior airman, was convicted today of second degree murder and witness tampering charges in connection with the death of Army Sergeant Juwan Johnson in Hohenecken, Germany, in 2005.



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Justice Department Makes the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design Available to Online Viewers Nationwide

The Justice Department today made available online the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards or Standards).



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Former Abramoff Colleague Kevin Ring Convicted of Conspiracy, Honest Services Fraud and Paying Gratuities Related to Illegal Lobbying Scheme

Today a federal jury in Washington convicted Kevin A. Ring, a former lobbyist who worked with Jack A. Abramoff, on five counts related to a scheme to corrupt public officials by providing a stream of things of value.



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Assistant Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the National Congress of American Indians Annual Conference

"I am deeply honored by your invitation to be with you today and to share with you some of the work in which we have been engaged at the Department of Justice to improve life in Indian Country," said Assistant Attorney General West.




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Former Executives from Two Japanese Airlines Indicted in Conspiracy to Fix Rates on Air Cargo Shipments

An Atlanta grand jury returned an indictment today against a former executive of Japan Airlines International Co. Ltd. (JAL) and two former executives of Nippon Cargo Airlines Co. Ltd. for participating in a conspiracy to fix and coordinate components of rates for air cargo shipments to and from the United States.



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Virginia Man Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison for Child Pornography Charges

John Michael Carter, 42, pleaded guilty on Aug. 5, 2010, in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Virginia to one count of transportation of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.



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Former Humanitarian Workers Convicted for International Fraud Scheme

Morris B. Fahnbulleh, 40, and Joe O. Bondo, 39, both of Monrovia, Liberia, were each convicted on one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, four counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and four false claims counts. Fahnbulleh was also convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.



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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at the 24th National Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

"The Justice Department is firmly committed to investigating and prosecuting foreign bribery wherever it occurs – because rooting out foreign bribery matters," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Viktor Bout Extradited to the United States to Stand Trial on Terrorism Charges

After more than two years of legal proceedings, alleged international arms dealer Viktor Bout has been extradited to the Southern District of New York from Thailand to stand trial on terrorism charges.



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Four Student Aid Lenders Settle False Claims Act Suit for Total of $57.75 Million

Four student aid lenders have paid the United States a total of $57.75 million to resolve allegations that they improperly inflated their entitlement to certain interest rate subsidies from the U.S. Department of Education in violation of the False Claims Act.



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California Woman Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison for Human Trafficking Charge

Fang Ping Ding was sentenced in federal court late yesterday to 37 months in prison for confiscating the passport, visa and other documents of a woman from the People’s Republic of China in order to maintain control over the victim and force her to work as an unpaid, live-in domestic servant.



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Department of Justice Moves Forward on President’s Hiring Reform Initiative

The Department of Justice joined representatives from across the federal government to mark the progress made in modernizing the federal workforce hiring process over the past six months.



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Pennsylvania Contractor Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud Conspiracy

The owner of a Langhorne, Penn., asbestos abatement company pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).



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Miami Man Sentenced to 121 Months in Prison for Purchasing, Selling and Using Stolen Credit Card Information

Juan Javier Cardenas of Miami was sentenced today in the Southern District of Florida to 121 months in prison for buying, trafficking and possessing stolen credit card information.



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Attorney General Holder Announces Establishment of Office of Tribal Justice as Separate Component Within the Department of Justice

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the establishment of the Office of Tribal Justice as a separate component within the organizational structure of the Department of Justice.



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Statement of Matthew Miller, Director of Public Affairs, on the Conviction of Ahmed Ghailani

“We respect the jury’s verdict and are pleased that Ahmed Ghailani now faces a minimum of 20 years in prison and a potential life sentence for his role in the embassy bombings," said Matthew Miller, Director of Public Affairs.



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Medical Assistant Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for His Role in a Fraudulent Home Health Scheme

Mohammed El-Fallal was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood in the Eastern District of Michigan to two years of supervised release following his prison term and was ordered to pay $2.8 million in restitution.



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Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Laurie Robinson Speaks at Exploring Health Reform and Criminal Justice

"We’re now seeing a convergence of opportunity and innovative thinking in the correctional health care arena," said Assistant Attorney General Robinson.




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Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at the “Focus on Recovery’’ Biennial National Procurement and Grant Fraud Conference

"The Criminal Division, along with our partners in the U.S. Attorneys Offices, is firmly committed to supporting you in our collective mission to prevent and deter any attempts to defraud the American people of the money invested in our future through the Recovery Act," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Justice Department Announces Settlement of Litigation with AMC Entertainment Inc.

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with AMC Entertainment Inc. to resolve a lawsuit filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act.



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New Jersey Man Convicted on Tax Charges

Following a jury trial that began on Nov. 9, 2010, a federal jury in Trenton, N.J., convicted James and Theresa Demuro, of Bridgewater, NJ, of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and twenty-one counts of failure to pay over employment taxes.



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Operator of Miami HIV Clinic Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Role in Medicare Fraud Ring

Jose Garcia, 55, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Miami to 57 months in prison for his participation in a Medicare fraud scheme involving a Miami-area HIV clinic.



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Two Defendants Each Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Charges

Two defendants were sentenced to prison today for their participation in an online child pornography conspiracy and for child pornography production charges.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Veterans Appreciation Ceremony

"It is fitting that we’ve gathered today – exactly one week after Veterans Day and one week before Thanksgiving – to honor the 19,000 veterans who serve our nation’s Justice Department," said Attorney General Holder.




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Senior U.S. District Court Judge Pleads Guilty to Possession of Controlled Substances and Conversion of Government Property

Senior U.S. District Judge Jack T. Camp Jr., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Atlanta to possession of controlled substances and conversion of government property.



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Former New York Con Edison Manager Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Bribery and Tax Charges

A former Consolidated Edison of New York (Con Edison) manager pleaded guilty today to charges that he accepted and agreed to accept approximately $807,000 in bribes from two Con Edison industrial pipe supply vendors.



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